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Solar for All Program Community Solar Subscription Agreement
Terms and Conditions
As a Solar for All community solar subscriber, the credits you receive will save you an estimated $500 per year on your electric bill, at no cost to you. As described below, the actual savings you will receive on your electric bill may vary from month to month based on several factors. If you maintain income eligibility, you should receive these credits until at least 2032, subject to the terms and conditions below.
Subscription Start Date: Your subscription will start upon receipt of all required documents by DOEE and enrollment into Pepco's billing system. In the event projects are fully subscribed, your enrollment will be prioritized and assigned to the next available subscription allotment based on household characteristics defined by the Program. Pepco regulations allow subscriptions to be updated once per month. Once Pepco receives the updated enrollment information, we anticipate you will begin to receive credits on your electric bill within 60 days, but the actual time may vary on a case-by-case basis depending on technical or administrative issues that may arise in processing your application by Pepco.
Term: Your subscription will last indefinitely from the subscription start date unless you cancel or move out of the District. However, you should make sure that you continue to meet the Program’s eligibility requirements throughout the term.
Continuing Eligibility: If, during the benefit period of your subscription, you are no longer eligible for the Program because your income is too high, you are legally obligated and agree to notify DOEE within 60 days of your change of status.
Credit Price: Free. You will not pay anything for your subscription.
Credit Calculation: Your Pepco electric bill will be reduced by an amount (in dollars) corresponding to the monetary value of electricity generated by the community solar energy facility associated with your subscription. This reduction, or bill credit, is called a community net metering credit (CNM Credit). The value of the CNM Credit for your subscription in any month will equal the community solar energy facility's electricity production for the month multiplied by your subscription percentage, multiplied by the Residential CNM Credit rate established by Pepco pursuant to Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia regulations. The value of the credits allocated to you may change each billing cycle depending on your percentage allocation, the Residential CNM Credit Rate, and actual solar production. The dollar value of your CNM Credits calculation is set forth in the following equation:
(Solar energy facility output kWh x Your subscription %) x CNM Credit Rate $ = $ Your CNM Credits.
Credit Benefit: We will size your subscription so that the CNM Credits will offset approximately 50% of your electric utility bills based on the District’s 2016 average residential usage. The value of your CNM Credits may vary depending upon actual electricity generation each month throughout the year, which changes depending on the weather. You will likely receive more CNM Credits in the summer than the winter due to the increased sunshine in the summer months. The CNM Credits you receive also depend upon the Residential CNM Credit rate, which changes seasonally. Because these changes are outside of our control, you agree to allow us to modify your subscription allocation percentage from time to time as needed to help you achieve your eligible program benefit. DOEE may also modify your subscription allocation once each year to align with your actual electricity consumption from the previous twelve months. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, District regulations prevent you from receiving credits greater than 160% of your annual historic electricity consumption1, so your CNM Credit allocation will not exceed this amount. You will not receive a cash payment for your subscription value.
1Rises to 180% in 2023 and 200% in 2024 and thereafter. 15 DCMR 901.2
Electricity Bill Payment: You will continue to receive a bill from Pepco and are responsible for paying the bill. If your Pepco account becomes deactivated, this may cause your subscription to be cancelled. If this happens, you will have to reapply to join the Program upon reinstatement of your Pepco account.
Income Verification: As a participant of our DOEE Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program you are considered income eligible for the program. If you do not currently participate in this program, DOEE will verify your income before signing you up for the Program.
Early Termination: You may terminate your subscription at any time by notifying DOEE via email, phone, or postal mail. DOEE may terminate your subscription if we determine that you no longer meet the Program’ eligibility requirements. There is no penalty for early termination.
Changes to Address and/or Pepco Account Number: It is your responsibility to contact DOEE by email, phone, or postal mail if your address and/or Pepco account number changes. DOEE must have the current address and Pepco account number in order for you to continue to receive the Program benefits.
Assignment: You may not transfer or assign your subscription to any other person or household.
Data Release: You agree to allow DOEE, or its designee, to access your historic and future electricity usage and billing data directly from Pepco and your Program subscriber data for the duration of your subscription for research, evaluation, and analysis, and to use this data to ensure that credits are being allocated correctly and to verify compliance with the terms of the Program and relevant District regulations.
Waiver of Claims: In exchange for receiving CNM Credits from the Program, you agree that you will not bring any claims or actions against DOEE in connection with our providing CNM Credits to you. If you are unsatisfied with our performance, your sole remedy is to terminate your subscription. You acknowledge that we are not ensuring that you will receive any particular amount of savings, or any savings at all (due to circumstances beyond our control, such as if electricity generation from the solar energy facility ceases, or if laws or regulations change, etc.) and that the number of CNM Credits that you receive will depend on the generation of electricity by the associated solar energy facility and the number of subscribers in the Program, among other factors. You are not eligible to receive any tax benefits or environmental attributes, such as solar renewable energy credits or other non-energy monetized benefits, related to the solar energy facility to which you are subscribing.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits
In fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024) if you have a Pepco account you will be eligible for the approximately $500 Solar for All credit over the year, as well as at least the minimum Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefit of a $250 one-time credit on either your gas or electric bill. If you have oil or gas heating sources, your LIHEAP benefits will not be affected in FY24. However, DOEE may change this policy in future years, as funding and need varies year by year. As a Solar for All benefit recipient you will see savings for at least 15 years and your LIHEAP benefits may be adjusted in any of those 15 years. Ultimately, LIHEAP benefits will be based on energy usage and energy burden. And over time, as a Program participant you will gradually need less bill assistance over time as your Solar for All benefits accrue. Households that are already recipients of benefits from the Program may not submit another application. If you are unsure whether you may already be a recipient of such benefits, please contact [email protected] or (202) 299-5271 to confirm your status.
Prior Enrollment in Solar for All
Households that are already recipients of benefits from the Solar for All Program, including earlier iterations of the low-income single-family solar program, may not receive additional benefits. If you are unsure whether you may already be a recipient of such benefits, please contact [email protected] or (202) 299-5271 to determine your status.